Once Upon a December
by GorimJr
Summary: Old memories of a past Noah come in the form of dreams, and Allen gives up holding them back. Song fic; one shot; maybe more chapters if it's well-received. Rated T for rather gruesome scenes, and maybe future gruesome. AllenxLinali, implied Rhodex14th


**Here's my first DGM fic. It could be a oneshot, or I could add a bit more, if people are so inclined. **

_December 25__th __1676_

_Dancing bears_

_Painted wings_

_Things I almost remember_

_And a song someone sings_

_Once upon a December_

Light from candles danced coldly on the shiny marble floor, and in the pools of blood that decorated it like baubles on a Christmas Tree. Blood was flung across the rich wallpaper; the golden moldings; the ornate vases. Piano music trickled in from another room, along with the chatter of blissfully unaware guests. A grandfather clock boomed twelve deep chimes. All around, gray bodies with stigmata on their foreheads lay, dead in numerous ways, some in impromptu acts of desperation, other in a preordained fashion.

In the center of the room stood a dark-haired young man, gray skinned, like the numerous dead, with stigmata on his forehead, like the others. He wasn't dead, but he was blood-spattered. His white shirt was dyed red and stiff with blood; the stains on his black pants were less visible. The bowtie from the shirt was gone, ripped off in the fight.

He turned at the sound of someone coming in, and smiled a smile that didn't reach his eyes to his younger sister, who stared in shock. She looked lovely; pale and beautiful, with a flowing white gown and her violet eyes wide with horror.

"Rhode," he said calmly. "Good evening. I was beginning to think you'd already gone to bed."

"Brother…" Rhode whispered, her eyes tied to the bodies of her kin. His kin. "What have you done? The Duke-"

"Will not catch me. Rhode, you know what they did. What the Earl means to do."

"I do. But…" She looked up at him and walked through the blood, past her fallen "family", her bare feet padding wetly as she made her way to her "brother". "Do you mean to kill me as well, brother?"

His eyes widened. "No! Not you! Never you!" Rhode looked at one of her brothers; his left eye had been stabbed, the wound going into his brain. She sobbed and pressed her face into their murderer's chest.

"Why did you kill everyone?" She whispered. He said nothing.

_Someone holds me_

_Safe and warm_

_Horses prance through a silver storm_

_Figures dancing gracefully_

_Across my memory_

He took her small hand in his and whirled her slowly, gracefully around the blood soaked room, past and over the bodies. For a moment, Rhode forgot that she was around the fallen. For a moment, they were in the room with all the guests, gliding across the floor, wearing what they should be, doing what they should be.

He stopped.

"They killed her, you know."

"I know."

"I loved her." He sounded broken.

"I know."

"But…" He hesitated, then leaned down, tears brimming in his eyes, his forehead pressed against her own. "I love the Earl too."

"I know." Rhode repeated, her hands moving to his head, her palms resting on his temples, holding him close to her. His hands gripped her wrists tightly.

"I don't know what to do." Rhode closed her eyes.

"Run. Go to your brother. Run, and don't look back." He opened his eyes and smiled slightly. He leaned down and his lips touched hers gently.

--

_December 24__th_

Allen gasped as he awoke with a start, sitting up sharply. He felt tears fill his eyes and got up, creeping over Link, tugging on his uniform and leaving the room.

_Far away_

_Long ago_

_Glowing dim as an ember_

_Things my heart used to know_

_Once upon a December_

He walked down the hall, down staircase after staircase, and into the main floor. He walked through the rooms and into the huge cathedral. The moon shone through the stained glass as brightly as the sun on any day, and made the colorful shadows seem softer and gentler. And colder.

The pews had been removed long ago, leaving only a bare, dusty, rough stone floor. But when Allen looked down, he saw shiny marble and pools of blood. He looked at his hands and saw blood. He covered his eyes and felt a sob rise in his throat.

"Allen?"

The boy turned and saw Linali. She walked over to him, groggy and confused. Her dark hair brushed her shoulders and she too wore her exorcist uniform.

"What's wrong?" She asked, looking surprised as she saw the look on his face. "Did you… Have a bad dream?"

A bad dream? Was that what it was?

"A bad dream?" He asked calmly.

"Yeah. You look pale." She walked over to him and cupped his cheek. Allen reached up and took it in his own and slowly wrapped his other arm around her waist, holding her closer.

_Someone holds me safe and warm_

_Horses prance through a silver storm_

_Figures dancing gracefully_

_Across my memory_

They danced slowly through the circle of moonlit color, Linali stunned as Allen slowly lead them through a slow waltz.

_I didn't know he could dance._

But as they danced, Allen saw Rhode. He saw the rich, bloody room and the bodies scattered across the marble floor. He wasn't wearing the red and black uniform. He was wearing a damp, bloody shirt and black dress pants. The memories welled up inside, clamped around his heart like a vice. He gritted his teeth in something like pain, but it was deeper than that. It was an ache.

Regret. Grief. Love.

_Far away_

_Long ago_

_Glowing dim as an ember_

_Things my heart used to know_

_Things it yearns to remember_

They halted, the dust settling around their booted feet, the blood crystals around her ankles clicking together. Far away, Big Ben boomed twelve times.

"His memories are taking over," Allen whispered. The last two words echoed in the stone room. Linali's heart skipped a beat. "I can't tell what are my thoughts and what are _his_."

"What are you going to do?" Linali asked softly.

"I don't know."

_And a song someone sings_

"But I can't stay." He leaned down and kissed her swiftly. Linali pressed her lips against his in response.

Quickly, Allen pulled away, stepping sharply into the shadows.

"Good bye, Linali."

_Once upon a December_


End file.
